


Our Child

by Slayer_of_Destiny



Series: WinterIron [3]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Domestic Avengers, Family, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse of Original Character, M/M, Protective Bucky Barnes, Romance, Tony Stark is Good With Kids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 17:42:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16581086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slayer_of_Destiny/pseuds/Slayer_of_Destiny
Summary: After an attack on a Hydra compound, the Avengers find the Supersoldier program has been changed up. by mixing Bucky's supersoldier DNA and Tony's Extremis fuelled DNA to stabilise the subjects. Out of a lot of experiments, one child has survived. Now Tony and Bucky must pull together to be dads to this little boy. Slash.





	Our Child

Tony stared down at the small body lying on the crisp white sheets, dirty little face peaceful in unconsciousness, little dirty hands held tightly onto the sheets. Pale skin that looked like it should be a slightly darker colour, a too small body, a nose and chin that were familiar, cheekbones and hair color that he could recognise.

Bruce thought the child was around 3-4, he was currently scanning through the medical records on the child with FRIDAY, Vision, and Wanda to find out everything that he could, but there was a hell of a lot of information on the child. He was so unusual, so special that practically every breath had been monitored, every second of his life. It was a lot of work, but it was important that they knew.

He had been looked after and abused, hurt and coddled. He hadn't had a life.

And the poor kid wasn't going to fare much better, not considering the information that had jumped out at them straight away when they had scanned over the information on the child that they had found in the lab with him.

When Hydra had tried to destroy the...test subject rather than let him fall into their hands. They had barely made it. If it hadn't been for one half of his DNA he wouldn't have made it.

Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath, fighting down the anger he felt, fighting down the desire to out and destroy every single computer in the world to try and find and destroy Zola.

The little boy on the table had no idea how complicated his life was about to become. And Tony couldn't help but feel that he would have been better with someone else, any of the other Avengers than the two he was about to be saddled with.

'Test subject created from the DNA of Iron Man aka Tony Stark and The Winter Soldier' They hadn't even named Bucky, just 'The Winter Soldier'. A quick read through and it quickly became apparent that the child was made from stolen DNA of Tony and Bucky, and Hydra had managed to make a child out of the two of them purely, this child was THEIR child biologically.

Why? They had been trying since bucky to replicate the super soldier serum Zola had created that had worked on him, but they couldn't and they didn't know why every test for decades failed. And they had gotten frustrated. Then Tony had managed to control the Extremis in his blood and it had been providing different strengths and abilities, and Zola had thought that he could use it to stabilize the serum. Trying to inject soldiers with it had failed.

So they had taken the next step and just tried to grow supersoldiers rather than change them. It was a little bit of a ten-year plan Tony thought, but then again that was before Hyrda had been forced to reveal itself when they had started the project they probably thought they had all the time in world hiding out in the open for the project to….mature.

Tony technically had had 62 children, boys, and girls, according to the records. The small child in front of him was the only one that had survived. He was unique. He was his.

The poor kid had one dad who had no idea how to be a parent except to be the opposite of his own parents, who had more emotional traumas than he could count on 20 hands, he hadn't wanted children because he was terrified to be his dad, he had no idea what the changes the Extremis had done to him, he was still learning, he was still mourning his third oldest child JARVIS, and...well he was Tony Stark.

His other dad, well Bucky's memories were coming back, and they had managed with the help of Wakanda, T'Challa and his kid sister to get rid of the trigger words, but...Bucky was traumatised and hurting and trying to fit everything together in his head. He had years of memories that weren't actually his, that he couldn't remember living, Bucky Barnes' last memory was falling off a train. On good days Steve could get him down onto the common floor for an hour. On bad days he wouldn't leave his and Steve's room.

He was a nice guy, he had a sense of humour still in there somewhere, and he had started teasing Steve. He had started exploring the new world. Tony had come up from his workshop late one night to find Bucky sitting at the counter with the coffee machine as FRIDAY explained to him how it worked. Of course, he had frozen the minute he realised Tony was there.

It was a problem. Tony had explained to him that he didn't blame him for his parents deaths more times than he could count, he had explained to Bucky that it wasn't him, it was Hydra, he had said it so many time, he had even joked one time that Hydra had done him a favour but that hadn't gone down well - Steve. Bucky seemed sure that Tony was going to change his mind one day, and Tony didn't know what he could do.

Maintenance on the arm was better for them, they were slowly getting used to each other and able to interact when they both had something to focus on, and Bucky had no choice but to focus considering Tony stipulated that Bucky learn what he was doing with the arm in case Tony wasn't able to help him for any reason, and that he had a say in everything that happened to the arm, every wire change, every upgrade, went through Bucky first.

But now apparently they had a child between them. A child with super intelligence, super strength, Extremis in his system. And no one else in the world. Shield had wanted to take him, Tony had taken him before they could and threatened them with destruction if they even tried.

He knew Steve didn't approve, he knew that he thought Tony wouldn't be able to raise a child, he knew that he didn't want to put the stress on Bucky. He hadn't liked Tony pointing out that he was trying to take Bucky's own choices away from him, something that Tony had to remind him a lot, something that was putting a strain on their already strained relationship after Ultron.

Bruce had looked him over here in the Tower and determined that the little boy was ok, a little malnourished, but no damage from the injection they had given him. He just needed time for his system to heal itself, which it was already doing.

Tony sucked in a deep breath and nodded to himself before reaching out and dipping the cloth in his hands into the bowl of warm water and wrung it out, before stepping forward and started gently cleaning the grime of the boy. His boy. His son.

He started with tiny hands, carefully cleaning each finger and then his palm, circling up his arm. He moved to wash his hair, rinsing the dirty curls till they were clean and then gently toweling them off. He swapped the already filthy water and moved to pick up a tiny foot.

Just as he started the doors whooshed open. Frowning he turned to tell Bruce he was shocked that he had finished so quickly, only to find Bucky standing there with Steve. Steve had his 'I don't approve' face on and Bucky a determined one. The Captain had gone straight up to inform Bucky about the little boy 'so he didn't hear anywhere else'.

"Is that…" Bucky motioned behind Tony, and he realised that the tiny little boy would be blocked behind Tony's body where he had automatically moved to shield him.

"Yeah, yes he's, here," Tony stepped slightly to the side and Bucky's eyes widened. He was wringing his hands and tugging at his sleeves in a nervous gesture, but he took a cautious step forward.

"Is he ok?" Bucky frowned. "He's so still,"

"He's healing. The injection has left no damage, but he needs time to heal. He is ok though, Bruce said he is a little malnourished, but nothing a few good meals can't take care of and a lot of care. No lasting damage physically, but mentally…." Tony drew off with a sigh and looked at the little boy.

"Can...can I help?" Bucky motioned to the bowl of water.

"Oh, sure!" Tony nodded, quickly grabbing another cloth.

"I don't think that is a good idea," Steve frowned.

"Why not?" Tony frowned back, dipping his own cloth back into the water and started washing the little boy's leg as Bucky washed his feet, his giant hands so careful. Once the foot was clean he carefully brushed to fingers of his flesh hand over the tiny toes and arch of the foot. There was a small movement, the little leg tucked in slightly as though ticklish, and it made both Bucky and Tony smile involuntary, an action that was not familiar on Bucky's face.

"You shouldn't get attached," Steve said breaking the moment.

"And why not?" Tony narrowed his eyes.

"He's not your child, only biologically, he should go to the compound, or Shield and…"

"And he can be prised from my cold dead fingers before I allow him to be brought up as a weapon, or raised to be a laboratory experiment in the same way that Hydra intended him to be!" Tony growled.

"You want to keep him?" Bucky said quickly, his eyes flicking to Steve in a way that told Tony that Steve had broached this subject already. Tony ignored the door opening to allow Natasha, Bruce, Rhodey, Sam and Clint entry, instead he focussed on unreadable blue-grey eyes.

"Yes, he is staying here, he will be raised here as a little boy, a child, with family and love and….he will want for nothing, I will...I want to make it better," Tony's voice cracked at the end unable to look at the innocent little boy lying on the bed as he voiced everything that had been going through his head.

"He's not a normal child Tony he should be…"

"What tested? Poked? Prodded? Become a weapon!" Tony bristled.

"He's enhanced, like us!" Steve snapped.

"He's a child! We chose to be Avengers, he deserves the same chance! He deserves to grow up like a normal child! Surrounded by people who love him! And people who accept him as he is! He deserves to go to school, and fall in love and go to college! And then, and only then, if he decides to join the Avengers to be a hero, then it will be his choice!" Tony shouted, unconsciously setting his arm over the child protecting him.

"You don't get to make that choice!" Steve snapped.

"We do, we're his parents," Bucky said quietly, so quietly he could barely be heard. He wasn't even looking at Steve, he was still gently brushing the little boy's tiny feet. But Steve jerked back like he had been slapped.

"Bucky! We talked about this!" Steve hissed.

"He's our son, doesn't matter how he was created, doesn't matter we didn't know about him till today, he's our son, our responsibility, our charge. We decide not you. This isn't Avengers, or Shield, this isn't Superheroes and Villains. This is family. And if you can't stop being Captain America for five seconds and be Uncle Steve then your opinion is not wanted, Steve. He's our son," Bucky looked up and met Tony's eyes, and for the first time, Tony didn't see a broken man. Tony nodded sharply realising Bucky felt it as well.

This was their child, their son. He felt it.

"He's going nowhere," Tony said firmly.

"Over our dead bodies," Bucky nodded turning to look at Steve. The Captain opened and closed his mouth before slipping and storming out.

"I will speak to him," Natasha said softly. She walked over and looked at the babe. "You guys make a good looking kid. If he has both your charm god help you both when he is a teenager. I won't let him go anywhere either," She nodded shakily, and they could both see the ghosts in her eyes, miles away in thoughts of her own childhood. But then she turned quickly and followed Steve with Sam.

"When he's adjusted and feeling better we can start arranging play dates with my kids," Clint grinned. "I will not allow anyone to take him,"

"You're not going to say 'you have my bow?'" Tony managed to grin weekly.

"And my axe," Bruce muttered making Tony and Clint snort. Tony met Bucky's eyes and could see the same confusion on his face as they used to see all the time on Steve's face, his 'I don't understand that reference' face.

"Snowflake, no! This is not acceptable. Before the kid is old enough to watch them we need to have you all caught up on films and pop culture," Tony sighed shaking his head as he dipped the cloth into the water again and gently started cleaning him off.

"Snowflake?" Bucky asked confusedly, seemingly more content gently brushing the soft skin of his feet as he was with cleaning his legs.

"Winter, snow, snowflake," Tony shrugged.

"He likes giving people nicknames don't worry," Bruce smiled as he came over and checked over the monitors. "He calls me his jolly green jelly bean,"

Bucky snorted before he could help himself looking at Tony. "He calls me Robin Hood," Clint muttered.

"I understood that reference," Bucky said dryly. All three of them snapped their heads up to look at him.

"Did, did you just make a joke Snowflake?" Tony gasped.

"I do have a sense of humour, somewhere in all the brainwashing, and it is still better than Stevie's," Bucky grunted.

Tony couldn't help it. He started laughing and couldn't bring himself to stop, everything that had happened that day catching up on him, the reality of the situation they were now in, and everything that was going to come for them all with this little one in their lives, how everything was going to change, everything caught up with him and he couldn't stop his chuckles.

He missed Bruce and Clint slipping out, leaving the three of them alone. Bucky took the bowl and emptied it, refilling it and bringing it back by the time Tony calmed down, brushing tears from his eyes.

"Better?" Bucky raised an eyebrow.

"We have a kid, a kid that is completely 50/50 us!" Tony blinked down at the little boy.

"I...yeah we do. Didn't think…."

"I never thought I would have kids," Tony said softly, dipping the cloth and starting to clean the little boy's belly. "I was pretty determined not to actually,"

"Why?" Bucky asked quietly cleaning the little boy's chest.

"I was...am terrified that I would be like Howard, that I would be the same type of dad Howard was to me. I don't exactly have a great example of how to be a parent from either Howard or Maria,"

"They...they were…."

"Pretty awful, putting it very mildly," Tony grimaced.

"What…" Bucky scowled to himself, drawing off.

"Maria was cold at best, she had very little time for me, by the time I was six she was more interested in spending time with her bottles and her pills, with parties and shopping than spending time with me, and she didn't know how to cope with having a genius for a son, so she just….didn't bother with me. Howard...I was never good enough for him, I could never be smart enough, I could never be quick enough, never brave enough, never...enough. I also learned to duck pretty quickly when he hit me when I was 3 for crying. If I was lucky when he drank he knocked himself out, if I wasn't I prayed the hiding place I had chosen wouldn't be found," Tony answered the unspoken question robotically.

"I…" Bucky licked his lips, dipping his cloth again and gently tilted their little boy to help Tony wash his back as they stood side by side. "I hid at Steve's house from my dad. My mom died when I was seven in childbirth, we lost her and my sister and...my dad never recovered. He fell into the bottle and...it was never pretty, he was drunk pretty much 5 or 6 days a week. He would hit me, shout at me, throw bottles at me. Everyone knew, but it was different in those days. Some of the neighbours tried to help, but there wasn't much that they could do. Mrs. Rogers knew. She would let me stay over and would look after me when he hurt me bad. Seve wanted to go around there and kick his ass," Bucky snorted.

"Steve?" Tony smiled a little.

"Yeah, he was like 3 foot of nothing and skinnier than an actual rake," Bucky shook his head. "Anyway, even before….all this, I wasn't sure that I wanted to risk...doing it wrong...but I remembered my mom and how she used to be, her hugs and kisses, the way she would make my favourite soup when I was ill despite money being really tight,"

"I had...Jarvis and Anna, Howard's butler,"

"Howard got a butler?" Bucky interrupted. "Never mind, of course, he did," Bucky rolled his eyes, carefully cleaning off the little boy's back.

"They looked after me. For every slap Howard gave me, Anna would hug me, every time Howard said I had to go without a meal, Jarvis would sneak me food. They made birthdays Howard and Maria forgot special. I guess...being like them, that would be ok," Tony sighed as they lowered the little boy to lie on his back again, and both moved to gently clean his face.

They worked together silently, each of them carefully cleaning his features, before brushing their fingers over the tiny delicate features of the still sleeping babe.

Tony reached out for the clothes Bruce had left for them, simple pajamas, and a little awkwardly the two of them managed to get him into the pajamas before stepping back once they had tucked him back in, and they stared in awe at the little boy.

"Did they give him a name?" Bucky asked.

"Subject 56," Tony said through a thick throat.

"We should give him a name," Bucky frowned.

"I….I guess considering kids weren't part of your consideration your in the same boat as I am and don't have a list of possible baby names?" Tony sighed.

"Nope, and I am a little worried that you may have a short list considering I have met U, Butterfingers and Dumm-E," Bucky snorted.

"Hey! Yeah, they're pretty not suitable for a kid," Tony snickered.

The two of them stood there staring at the little boy, praying that inspiration would hit. But….nothing.

"Bucky?" Tony asked softly, nervously. "Your mom's name was Edith right?"

"Yeah it was….we can't call him Edith," Bucky scowled.

"I wasn't suggesting that we do," Tony laughed. "Jarvis' name was Edwin. Edwin Jarvis. How about as a reminder to the two of us of the parents were going to be to him, we call him Edwin, Eddy for short, for both of them? Would that be ok?" He asked.

"I really like that," Bucky smiled brightly, far more than Tony had seen.

"Ok….Edwin James?" Tony offered nervously.

"Edwin James Stark," Bucky muttered before nodding. "I like it,"

"Edwin James Stark-Barnes," Tony corrected.

"Your name will give him more in life," Bucky shook his head.

"He's both ours, both our names," Tony shook his head. "Edwin James Stark-Barnes,"

"I...yeah….yeah…." Bucky nodded.

"FRIDAY, can you please speak to Pepper and ask her to get the lawyers onto it and get Eddy officially ours please," Tony requested.

"Straight away Boss, and can I say that is a very fitting name, congratulations Boss," FRIDAY answered.

"Thank you FRIDAY," Tony felt shaky and exhilarated and in shock all in one go. "Pepper will make sure that by the end of today he's ours in every single legal way that is ironclad and sealed in vibranium, no one will take him from us,"

"The end of the day is technically 4 and a half hours away," Bucky blinked.

"She is very good," Tony shrugged.

"What do we do now?" Bucky asked.

"Well FRIDAY is buying the basics that we will need for him, we can choose what we want exactly when he is awake and well enough. So I guess...for now we wait?"

"Let's get comfy," Bucky picked up and chair and placed it by the bed, getting a second one and placing it on the other side of the bed. He hesitated for a second before reaching out and taking the lit….Eddy's hand, his tiny hand in his flesh one, gently running his thumb over his knuckles.

Tony sat down and reached out to take Eddy's other hand, pressing a gentle kiss to it before settling down to wait for him to wake up.

"How about I get FRIDAY to go over parenting books and tips, and we decide on a basic parenting plan. I do know that being a united front will be important, and we're going to have to be pretty steady for this little guy...he's been through a lot already,"


End file.
